Iran unlikely to face sanctions over launch of ballistic missiles

The missiles were described as being 'capable of carrying a nuclear warhead'farsnews.com/Reuters

Iran is unlikely to face sanctions over its firing of ballistic missiles that were described as "capable of carrying a nuclear warhead".

The Islamic Republic announced that it had fired the missiles – reportedly emblazoned with the worlds "Israel must be wiped off the Earth" in Hebrew – on 8 March, less than two months after the cessation of crippling sanctions on the country.

But despite the lifting of sanctions coming with a call from the UN for the country to cease activities related to ballistic missiles that can carry nuclear weapons, the ambiguous wording allegedly means the tests technically did not defy the resolution.

Diplomats from the six countries involved in drawing up the agreement said that the recent test did not break the core terms of the nuclear deal, Reuters reported.

The decision comes despite initial reactions from member countries including the US stating that there had been a violation of the agreement following the launch of the missiles – which are believed to be capable of reaching the country's regional nemesis Israel.

At the time, the ISNA news agency quoted Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh as saying: "The reason we designed our missiles with a range of 2,000km (1,200 miles) is to be able to hit our enemy the Zionist regime from a safe distance."

However, he also stressed that the missiles were not intended to begin a war with Israel, but to protect Iran.

It is not clear yet whether Iran will receive a public reprimand from the UN security council, but it seems likely given the reaction of member countries.